MTA Bridges and Tunnels Construction Improvements

Henry Hudson Bridge Stringer Replacement

Installed grid deck panels	Installation of grid deck panels on new steel beams
Completed grid deck roadway with concrete barrier rebar.
Concrete being poured into new grid deck	After concrete is poured it is covered with wet burlap to help it set properly

old girder being lifted out (left) and replaced by new one (right).
Northbound upper level roadway, view toward Bronx, Henry Hudson Bridge
Workers replacing the bridge's original curb stringer boxes, commonly used in the  1930s when the bridge was built, with new sub-structure steel beams, shown here being hoisted. All together there will be 30 of these steel girders installed. Each steel beam weighs 3,000 lbs.
Protective shield installation for upper level work.
Old stringer curb box that is being removed	Example of corroded stringer box that is being removed. This is what happens when water seeps into the empty stringer box.
New steel grid put in place after old stringer box was removed.

New Piers Taking Shape

Photos by MTA Bridges and Tunnels Jeffrey Brugge

New steel girders put in place	New east side retaining wall
Augering in 9" and 12" mini piles to provide substructure support
Custom steel formwork is erected to give the new pier it's double arch shape	Formwork in place showing the double arch design
Thousands of pounds of reinforcing bar is set in pier. All rebar is checked for proper spacing, size and clearance	The final face of the custom formwork is bolted together and hundreds of yards of concrete is pumped in to create the pier
Pier fully formed and ready for concrete	Formwork is removed, revealing the new wider bridge support structure

New Playground

Photos by MTA Bridges and Tunnels Jeffrey Brugge

Francis Lewis Old Playground: Old Francis Lewis children's playground beneath bridge	New swings install: Swings taking shape at new Francis Lewis Park children's playground
New swings: Completed swing set at new playground	Playground: Children's discovery center
Foreground new sprinkler fountain; in rear is toddler climbing wall	Wide view of new playground equipment

Verrazano Toll Plaza Improvement Project

This is a $50 million, 45-month Capital improvement project that is expected to be completed in 2015. Highlights of the work include:

• A new fly-over ramp from Narrows Road South (service road) to help ease car and bus traffic onto the Brooklyn-bound upper level of the bridge.
• A new fly-over ramp at the Lily Pond entrance ramp to the bridge will be constructed to improve roadway logistics and allow smoother access for buses and cars onto the bridge's upper level.
• Construction of a new lower level connector ramp that will take motorists directly from the Staten Island Expressway to the bridge's lower level.
• Rehabilitation of the Father Capodanno entrance ramp and the Lily Pond exit ramp.
• Rehabilitation of the toll plaza roadway from the Staten Island Expressway to accommodate traffic that will be traveling through the area at highway speeds rather than toll booth stop and go conditions.

Photos by Metropolitan Transportation Authority - STV Resident Engineer Bob Kuehlewein.

 

The newly completed eastbound Lily Pond Avenue Bridge.	New precast panels are installed for the new eastbound Lily Pond Ramp, which will tie into the newly completed Lily Pond Bridge which is seen in the background.
New Narrows Road South Bridge, looking east. Verrazano-Narrows Bridge is in the background.	New Narrows Road South ramp, looking west. Contractor is placing concrete barriers.
Eastbound Lower Level Connector with sub-base material in place. This new ramp passes below the newly completed Narrows Road South Bridge.	Eastbound Lower Level Connector (eastbound SIE traffic to the left) with completed placement of concrete pavement and new wall on the right.
At the east end of the existing Narrows Road South on-ramp, the contractor installs additional concrete barrier to further extend the work zone so additional Stage 2 drainage can be installed.	The auger machine excavates the hole for the tangent pile installation for the Narrows Road South Ramp (This is looking west towards Fingerboard Road Bridge along the EB Service Road).
Pile installation along the Narrows Road South, just east of Fingerboard Road (EB Service Road).	Toll Plaza area by the Upper Level/Lower Level roadway split EB, the contractor is installing drainage structures.
This is the demolition of the existing Narrows Road South overpass showing an excavator machine with a claw attachment grabs the far end of the steel girder while the second excavator helps guide the steel to the ground.  Half of the structure is being demolished in order to maintain one lane of traffic to the bridge.  The other half of the structure will be demolished after the construction of the new Narrows Road South Ramp is complete.	Setting precast wall panels for the new Narrows Road South on-ramp bridge.
Looking west the construction of the Precast panel walls for the new Narrows Road South on-ramp.	Adjacent to the SIE eastbound, the installation of the precast panel wall  of the new Narrows Road South on-ramp.
Looking east toward the bridge, the new east abutment for the new Narrows RoadSouth on  ramp is being constructed

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Toll Booth Removal Project

On the night of Feb. 1-2, 2012, the last remaining long-decommissioned eastbound toll booths at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge were torn down. The work is part of a $50 million Capital project to improve traffic flow through the toll plaza.
Other highlights of the project, which is expected to be completed by 2015 include:

• A new fly-over ramp from Narrows Road South (service road) will be built to help ease both car and bus traffic onto the Brooklyn-bound upper level of the bridge.
• Rehabilitation of the toll plaza roadway from the Staten Island Expressway to accommodate traffic that will be traveling through the area at highway speeds rather than toll booth stop and go conditions.
• Construction of a new lower level connector ramp that will take motorists directly from the Staten Island Expressway to the bridge's lower level.
• A new fly-over ramp at the Lily Pond entrance ramp to the bridge will be constructed to improve roadway logistics and allow smoother access for buses and cars onto the bridge's upper level.
• Rehabilitation of the Father Capodanno entrance ramp and the Lily Pond exit ramp.

 

Photos by Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin.

Paint Removal Project

Containment system wrapping the lower tower legs of the bridge is part of a two-year, nearly $19 million Capital construction project to remove old lead paint, repair and rehabilitate steel and  repaint the interior and exterior of the tower legs on both the Staten Island and Brooklyn sides of the bridge. The shroud-like covering is put in place to make sure the old paint does not escape into the environment. It is then collected and disposed of in strict accordance with New York State regulations.

Bridges need to be painted in order to keep them in a state of good repair and to provide protective coating against corrosion. The Verrazano-Narrows is particularly susceptible to corrosion because of the wind patterns where it sits in New York Bay and its exposure to harsh sea and salt air.  An estimated 11,500 gallons of high-performance paint, specially designed for bridges, will be used for this project.

VN legs paint 4: Cable and pulley system is constructed on the Staten Island tower legs in preparation for the tarps that will completely enclose the steel structure before abrasive blasting of old paint begins.	VN Tower Legs 2:  Side view of Staten Island tower leg completely wrapped in the containment system. Work began in late 2010 with actual removal of paint beginning in July 2011.
VN SI Tower Legs:  View of the Staten Island tower legs under containment system taken from the Brooklyn side of the bridge. Once completed, work will move to the Brooklyn side of the bridge.

• Manhattan toll plaza resurfacing
• Harlem River Drive Exit Ramp